Saudi Arabia has been granted a place on the Executive Council of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

The Kingdom was one of 12 new countries elected on Tuesday in a secret ballot during a meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council in New York. It will serve a three-year term beginning next year. It comes almost a year after being elected the 45th member of the commission.

“It’s a token of appreciation of the Kingdom’s efforts to empower women and have them... become an integral part of Saudi society, and a recognition of the reform efforts led by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” said Abdallah Al-Mouallami, the Saudi envoy to the UN. “This calls on us to underline women’s achievements in the Kingdom and abroad at all levels.”

Saudi Arabia’s UN mission said on Twitter: “Saudi Arabia looks forward to working alongside our fellow members starting in January 2019.”

The role of the commission is to promote women’s empowerment. The body meets annually to evaluate progress and formulate policies to promote the advancement of women.